


A Rose is a Rose is a Rose

by Queenafoster



Category: The Big Valley
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-01
Updated: 2014-06-01
Packaged: 2018-01-26 13:11:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1689494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queenafoster/pseuds/Queenafoster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Audra takes a hand in ranch affairs</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Rose is a Rose is a Rose

A Rose is a Rose is a Rose  
By Queena Foster

 

Audra scrunched her nose in concentration. She slowly tried several finger combinations as she worked on a particularly difficult run in the piano piece she was learning. Mozart always looked deceptively simple at first glance, but his compositions were tough to nail down.

Just as she thought she had the fingering worked out so that her hands would _eventually_ fly over the keys effortlessly, Silas interrupted. "Miss Audra, Mr. McColl is at the back door, and he says he needs to see you."

"All right, Silas, thank you." She wrinkled her nose once more at Mozart and stood from the piano. She headed through the house wondering what Duke needed with her. Of course, it could be anything; she was the only Barkley on the ranch right now. Her mother was visiting a friend in Sacramento, Gene was at school, Nick and Heath were in the high country looking at some new land they might purchase for timber, and Jarrod had been called suddenly to San Francisco regarding a case.

As she entered the kitchen, she saw Duke standing at the door eating one of Silas's cookies, and she smiled at the man who'd known her since she was born." Do you really need me, or did you just come to get some cookies?"

He grinned back at her. "I sure didn't come for any of your sass, Missy."

Audra laughed at the use of the name he'd had for her since she was running around the corrals in overalls and flying pigtails. "Well, if it’s not the cookies, then what is it?"

In a somewhat familiar mocking voice, he began, "You know, _this is a working ranch,"_ making both Audra and Silas laugh at Nick's oft-repeated phrase. Then he turned a bit more serious, "And there's a fellow out here wanting to look at some horses."

Audra blinked in surprise, "And he wants to see _me?"_

"No, he wants to see Nick. Says he's a friend of his. I told him the boys weren't here, so he asked for any of the Barkleys."

Audra pursed her lips a second, "Oh. Well, all right, let's go see him then." She smiled at Duke and moved forward to take the arm he offered her.

The two of them moved into the yard where a man was standing by the corral. He turned as they walked up, and Duke made the introductions. "Mr. Brooks, this is Miss Audra Barkley; Miss Barkley, this is Mr. Walter Brooks."

Mr. Brooks seemed a bit surprised, but he covered quickly and wiped his hand on his pants before offering it to Audra. She smiled and shook his hand. ”Mr. Brooks, how do you do?"

"Just fine, Miss Barkley. Thank you for taking time to see me."

"Not at all." She turned to McCall, "Thank you, Duke. We're fine here."

Duke seemed a bit surprised, "Are you sure?"

She smiled, "Yes, I'm sure. I know you have work to do."

He nodded, "All right. I'm going through the feed inventories right now. Just holler if you need me."

She turned back to Brooks as Duke moved off. "I understand you want to look at some horses, Mr. Brooks?"

"Yes, Miss Barkley. I've known your brother Nick for a long time--since before your father died--and he’s been bragging on his horses for years. I've had a bit of bad luck with my own stock this year and need to bring in some fresh blood."

Audra caught her breath. She knew how much it hurt to care for, and then lose, sick horses. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr. Brooks. What happened?"

He shrugged, "Not sure, really. Back in the fall, they just started getting sick. Weight and muscle just melted off them. I lost about half my horses and almost all the new foals this spring."

Audra was horrified and reached out to him. "Oh, how awful for you. And you don't know what made them sick?"

"I got the doc out there, but he couldn't figure it neither. He tried different things. I changed their feed and pastures and finally moved them into the barns. Nothing seemed to make much difference."

"How is the rest of the herd you have left?"

"Well, they seem to be fine now. I've not seen any symptoms in them for the last three months. But we’re coming into round up soon, and I'm going to need more horses. Now, I could buy just any old horses, but I want to rebuild my herd with good stock." He grinned, "And your brother Nick _may_ have mentioned--once or twice--that he has the _best_ horses in the state of California."

Audra giggled, thinking about how proud Nick and Heath were of the horses and, knowing Nick, she knew he would have bragged to his friends. "How do you know Nick?"

Brooks huffed a small laugh. "We met at some cattle sale maybe ten years ago and just seemed to hit it off. We'd end up meeting at this or that sale and renewed the acquaintance over the years. Met your other brother Heath a couple years ago." He paused and looked at Audra speculatively, "You know, them two boys is _real_ different from each other."

Audra laughed, "If you think they're different, you should meet my brothers Jarrod and Eugene."

Brooks grinned and seemed to be thinking back, "I seem to remember some mention of _lily white hands."_

Audra laughed again, "It’s not quite like that, but Jarrod is a lawyer and Gene is going to college, so Nick and Heath tease them about not doing much work on the ranch."

Brooks nodded, grinning, "Well, I reckon I would, too." He turned back to the corral. "I understand Nick's not here."

Audra shook her head, "No, I'm afraid you’ve caught us at a bad time. He and Heath are off looking at timber."

"That's unfortunate. Me and my men have been here in California buying some stock, but I need to head back toward my ranch in Nevada tomorrow. With the horses I've collected, I need to be home by Monday after next. My man who's watching over my place has to get on a stage that afternoon. So you see, I've got to be back. And if Nick's horses are as good as he says they are, I'd sure like to take a few with me. If I'm to do business with the Barkley Ranch, it’s got to be today." He paused a second, looking at her with a touch of regret, "Is that going to be possible?"

Audra smiled gently at him, "Of course, it's possible." She reached for his arm, and they turned toward the far end of the yard where there were various corrals and pastures set aside for the horses they had for sale.

Brooks smiled in delight, "Well, that's wonderful. Shall we, Miss Barkley?"

Audra grinned in response, "Certainly. And please, call me Audra."

"And I'm Walter."

=====

"Boy howdy, I sure am glad to be home."

Nick brushed down his horse. "You and me both. But I think Jarrod will be glad to hear about that new timber land. He'll be glad we made the deal."

Heath nodded, "Yeah, that property ought to keep the mills running for five years. And with the reseeding program Merle has, it'll keep producing for a long time after that. Let's not forget to send him a note to go on up there and look it over before they start marking the trees."

"Yeah, never too early to start planning a second crop. That was a good idea Gene had to hire an expert in forestry."

Heath shook his head ruefully. "I didn't even know there _was_ such a thing till he mentioned it. Some smart family I come into, huh?"

Just about then, Duke walked into the barn. "Howdy, boys! Glad to have you back. Have a good trip?"

Nick nodded, "Yeah, it was good. We were just talking about it. Everything all right here?"

Heath looked up from Charger's coat to see an uneasy look cross Duke's face. After a moment’s hesitation, Duke replied, "Yeah, everything's fine. Jarrod had to go to San Francisco last week for a case. He's not home yet. Your mother got back yesterday.”

Heath pondered that a moment and couldn’t come up with a reason for Duke to appear so unsettled. "So Audra had kind of a lonely week, huh?"

Duke still seemed a bit tense, "Well, you know her. She went and visited some friends, and some of them came over here." He paused for a deep breath, "And she had a fellow come to ask about some horses."

Heath's eyes glanced back to Nick when his brother asked, "Horses? When's this fella coming back? Or is he?"

Duke was quiet as he chewed on his response. "No, he's not coming back." He paused and took a deep breath, then spoke tentatively. "He made his deal with Audra, took the horses, and left."

Nick's eyes flashed with alarm, "What do you mean, _'He made his deal with Audra?''_

Duke took another deep breath, "I mean, she sold him the horses he picked out. And he took ‘em home with him."

Nick's eyes narrowed as his voice raised, "Are you saying she sold some of my horses without talking to _anyone?"_

Duke bit his lip and seemed to cast around for another answer, but finally nodded, "She sold him the horses."

Nick threw the rag he was using on the horse and headed for the door.

Heath put down the curry comb and quickly moved in front to intercept him. "Now, Nick, calm down and take a deep breath. You don't know what happened or what she did exactly."

"I know enough! She sold those horses without my permission, and I'm going to tan her hide!" With that statement, he shoved past Heath and out of the barn.

Heath glanced over at Duke who shook his head in regret, and they both started after Nick. Coming out, they saw Jarrod move in to greet Nick, who stormed past him with barely a glance and a muttered, clipped, "Jarrod."

"Nick," Jarrod said warily as he watched his brother stride toward the house at a fast, determined pace. He turned back toward Heath and Duke, "What's wrong with him?"

Heath let out a deep breath, "It seems that while we were all away, Audra sold someone some horses. Come on, big brother, let's go stop him from tearing the house apart."

Jarrod mouthed a silent, surprised, 'Oh.'

They both moved toward the house. Heath turned back when he noticed Duke had not accompanied them. "Well, come on. You lit the fuse; I reckon you ought to be there when the powder goes off." Duke reluctantly fell into step behind them, and they headed toward the main house.

Still fifty feet from the front porch, they heard Nick's loud yell, " _AUDRA!"_

Duke looked over at the two brothers, "You know, I don't think she’s on the place. I believe she headed out on a ride about an hour ago."

Jarrod looked at Heath, "Well, if she stays out awhile, we might be able to calm him down and talk some sense into him." He paused. "Or he might just ride out after her. He's pretty angry."

Duke shrugged. "She knew you boys were supposed to be back today, so maybe she went to visit someone for the afternoon to avoid the storm."

Jarrod smiled and let loose a small laugh. "Yeah. Of course, she did. Audra running from a fight. Sure, that’s what happened."

Duke shrugged, "A man can dream, can't he?"

Another reverberating, " _AUDRA!"_ emanated from the house as they neared the door.

Walking in, they found Victoria attempting to calm Nick as he bellowed again. Victoria tried again, exasperated. "Nick, calm down. What's wrong? What's she done?"

Jarrod snagged his mother's elbow as she made for the dining room in Nick's wake. "Hello, lovely lady. No greeting for your other prodigal sons?"

Victoria was a bit frazzled, "Oh, Jarrod. You're home, too. Heath, darling. Do you know what's wrong with Nick? Why is he so upset with Audra?"

Jarrod started to answer when they heard, " _AUDRA!"_ from the kitchen. He smiled briefly and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Yes, we do know. Duke here tells us that Audra apparently sold some horses while we were all away."

Victoria looked at all three men in surprise. "Sold some... Well, why would she do that?"

Heath moved forward and kissed her cheek as well. "Hello, Mother."

_"_ _AUDRA!"_

This was heard as Nick stalked across the second level from the back stairs, Silas trailing helplessly in his wake. "But, Mr. Nick, she's not here. She's done gone out."

The observers downstairs lost the rest as the two turned the corner and headed down the upstairs hall.

Victoria tried again. "Heath, stop him."

Heath gave her a small smile and a slight shake of the head. "I already tried. He ain't having none of it."

_AUDRA!"_

Victoria looked very distressed, "But--"

Heath continued, "Mother, you know how he is when he gets this way. No matter what I say, he ain't gonna hear it. Maybe he'll have time to calm down since Audra's out riding."

Just then, they heard from the kitchen the sweet voice of the young lady in question, "Mother, I'm back."

All four people in the foyer looked disappointed, and Jarrod mumbled, "Or maybe not."

As Audra came in from the dining room, they all heard, " _AUDRA!"_

Audra startled and turned to look up as Nick reappeared from the upstairs hall. " _AUDRA!"_

"Nick! What's wrong?"

"What's _wrong?_ You do something like this and have the nerve to ask me, ‘What’s _wrong?’"_

"Well, Nick, I don't know what--"

By then, Nick had stomped down the stairs and was using his greater size to loom over his sister . He continued, "I'll tell you what’s _wrong!_ You sold some of my horses!"

Audra blinked and appeared somewhat taken aback. "Well, Nick--"

"Don't try to deny it."

Victoria hurriedly turned to Heath and Jarrod. "Stop him."

They both shook their heads, and Jarrod answered her. "That would be like trying to stop an earthquake."

Heath took her elbow, and the three of them moved over to the stairs and sat down. Duke trailed along behind, a bit surprised that the boys weren't doing more to protect their sister, but he shrugged and sat down with them to watch. Heath spoke to Victoria, "Mother, we can't stop this now. Best thing to do is just sit back and stay out of the fray."

Duke piped up to lighten their mood, "I've got two dollars on Nick."

Victoria bent her head down with a groan as Jarrod and Heath looked at Duke, each other, and then glanced over at the argument still in progress. They looked at each other again with matching grins and turned back to Duke.

Jarrod spoke up, "I'll take that bet."

"Me too," Heath echoed.

"And me," murmured Victoria.

Duke looked a bit sick to his stomach. "Did I just make a sucker's bet?"

All three Barkleys looked back at the argument and nodded.

Victoria tried one more time, "But, Heath--"

"Mother, he's all the time dishing this stuff out, and people have to take it ‘cause he's usually right. Time's come that he needs to know how it feels to eat a little crow."

Victoria shook her head regretfully and refocused her attention on the argument in resignation.

Nick's voice was accusatory, "You sold my horses; don't try to deny it."

Audra’s face took on a look of annoyance, "I'm not trying to deny it."

Nick looked triumphant. His fists were planted on his hips as he bounced back and forth on the balls of his feet. "So you admit it!"

"Of course, I admit it. The bill of sale--"

"Then, do you care to explain yourself, young lady?"

"I'm trying to, but you keep interrupting--"

"Heath and I work day in and day out on those horses, put blood, sweat, and time into their training, and you just decide to sell them on a whim without talking to anyone about it."

Audra’s face turned red and hardened into real anger, and Duke watched as Jarrod and Heath leaned back against the steps to settle in for the show. Victoria saw her daughter's face and buried her head again in resignation. Duke turned back to the argument for Audra's response. Her blood was up now.

"You put blood, sweat, and time into them? Who do you call when one of them is sick? Ciego. And he calls me! If there's a problem with a foal, I'm the one who bottle feeds it! I put time in with those horses, too."

Now it was Nick’s turn to be taken aback. "Yeah, but--"

"Father and Heath and you have _all_ taught me about horses, Nick. Are you saying I don't know how to judge horseflesh?"

"Well, no, but--"

"You keep saying I sold _your_ horses. Are you saying that Heath couldn't sell those horses if he had a buyer?"

"No--"

"Or Jarrod? Or Mother?"

"No, but--"

"So it’s just _me_ that you have a problem with. What I'm understanding is that since I don't take an active role in the operation of this ranch that I'm incapable of making any decisions regarding it. From that, one could easily draw the conclusion that I shouldn't have a vote in family decisions regarding business because I don't have a role in managing it! Is that what you’re saying, Nick?"

Nick now looked completely shocked at the implications of his accusations. "No. Audra--"

Audra was livid at this point. "And I also want to make the point that this man was _your_ friend! I encouraged him to wait for you, but he had to return home. There wasn't _anyone_ else here. Did you want to turn him away when he wanted the _best_ stock available to help rebuild his herd? And the best stock available was right here on _this_ ranch. Did you want to lose the sale? To a friend of yours, no less? What was I supposed to do, Nick? Tell him to leave? Tell him that I wasn't _allowed_ to sell him the horses even though my name is Barkley, and I live on the Barkley ranch?"

The wind out of his sails, Nick tried to back pedal and placate his sister, "Now look, Audra--"

"No, you look, Nick! My name is Barkley just as much as it is yours. And just because I don't take an active part in running this ranch, that doesn’t mean I couldn't! And clearly, you haven't bothered to look at the bill of sale. It, and the bank draft, are on the desk in the study. I don't want to talk anymore about this until you've looked at them. Now, I'm going to get cleaned up and changed." She turned to the audience seated on the stairs. Her eyes and voice were icy, "Excuse me."

Jarrod hopped up to let his sister pass and watched her as she climbed to the top of the stairs. He turned a small smile back to the rest of the audience. They all turned to Nick with a questioning expression on their faces.

Nick still looked shocked and sputtered, "Well-- that's not-- that's not what I meant!"

Victoria looked at her son with affection and pity. She shook her head and moved toward him. She took his hands, kissed his cheek, and spoke softly. "Then what did you mean? Because that's exactly what you said."

Jarrod went into the study and returned holding the bill of sale and bank draft. He walked back into the midst of the family and handed the papers to Heath with a look of triumph. Duke eyes widened as he looked over Heath's shoulder. Heath smiled and chuckled before handing them to Nick who looked at them with dread before taking the documents.

Heath quirked Nick a smile. "Walt picked six of the best horses in the herd, and he paid top dollar for them." He paused but couldn't resist one more little dig as Nick, looking ill, examined the documents. "You'll remember that I did try to stop you out in the barn."

Nick responded with a frustrated face that told everyone he knew he was wrong. "Oh, shut up." He looked again at the paperwork in his hands and closed his eyes in resignation. He opened them and looked back at his family. "This is as good a deal as any of us could have gotten."

Everyone was quiet for a moment then Heath murmured, "Yep."

Nick looked back at Victoria and squeezed her hands. "I'm sorry."

Victoria shook her head, "Don't apologize to me. While Audra is busy upstairs, figure out what you want to say. Then go up and tell _her_ you're sorry."

Nick, penitent, nodded. He turned and handed the paperwork to Jarrod. Heath grinned and reached up to squeeze his shoulder.

Nick met his eyes and returned a rueful smile. "Why didn't you just sit on me out in the barn?"

Heath let his teeth show, "As mad as you were, I don't think I could have managed it."

Nick suppressed a bigger smile and glanced at all of them. "Maybe all three of you together could have done it."

The five of them started laughing. Jarrod piped up, "We’ll remember that next time you stick your foot in it all the way up to your hip."

Nick shook his head, "Yeah, I sure did that, didn't I?"

Duke answered for all of them. "You sure did."

Nick rolled his eyes, "Yeah, well, it's as much your fault as it is mine. You told me about it."

Duke nodded, "All right, next time, I won't tell you."

Nick sighed in resignation, "Yeah, that's the answer. Nobody tell me anything about this ranch anymore." He looked up at Silas who was still watching from the upstairs banister. "Sorry, Silas."

Silas shook his head in amusement. "That's all right, Mr. Nick. I'm used to it. Sure am glad all you boys are home. Supper be ready in about an hour and a half." He turned and headed down the back stairs toward the kitchen.

=====

An hour later, Nick was sitting in the hall outside his sister's room after he had taken a quick bath. He could hear Heath making soft noises in the tub as he got cleaned up as well.

After the argument downstairs, Heath had gone back out with Duke to go over the rest of the events they had missed while they were gone. That was something they usually did together, but Nick knew he wouldn't be able to concentrate on the discussion . He'd made a complete ass of himself tonight. Fortunately and unfortunately, it wasn't the first time he’d ever done that, but this had been a major misstep. Except for Audra, he knew his family forgave him, but he still had some making up to do with his sister.

Sitting there in the hall, Nick shook his head in regret. When Duke had broken the news about Audra's actions, Nick had completely lost his temper and his head. He hadn't thought of anything beyond all the work that had gone into those horses and the idea that they would not be adequately compensated for it. If Heath had managed the transaction, he wouldn't have thought twice about it. With Jarrod or even their mother, while he wouldn't have been entirely happy, he would have understood and accepted the situation. But Audra had never been involved in any livestock transactions, and she had been a complete unknown. He had been stunned at the price she had gotten for the horses. Walt Brooks was a shrewd rancher and a good horse trader. He would have dickered before settling on a price, and Nick was surprised that Audra had been able to achieve such a deal from the man. Once again, he shook his head in amazement.

Keeping an ear out, he realized that sounds from inside her room were much quieter now. When he first sat down, it seemed like Audra was almost throwing things around in there. Nick could tell she was still mad then. But now, things were quieter, and he thought he might be able to get her to listen to him. He got up and tapped on the door.

After a moment, there came a quiet, resigned, "Yes?"

"Can I come in?"

Another moment passed, "Yes, Nick."

Nick quietly entered and closed the door.

Audra looked up at him from where she sat at her dressing table. She waited for him to speak.

"I'm sorry, Audra." Nick stood waiting on a response but looked up when there was no answer.

She continued to sit quietly.

"You know I didn't mean it."

No answer.

"I just never expected that you would ever need to be involved in that side of things. I never prepared myself for that to happen."

Nothing.

"You know I don't handle surprises well."

Audra finally let out a deep sigh and crossed over to him, reaching for his hands, "I know, Nick, but did you notice that none of the rest of the family got upset about this?"

Now Nick was the quiet one. He nodded, ashamed.

She continued, "I know you have ideas about what all of us are supposed to do around here. The men run the ranch and the business, and the women run the house. But Mother could manage this ranch if she had to and so could I.  Not as well as you and Heath certainly, but I could do it if necessary. Father didn't neglect my education in that regard just because I'm a girl."

Nick looked troubled, "I know that. I just never thought about you having to use it."

Audra smiled at him gently. "Nick, you've always taken such good care of me. I'm your _princess_ and always will be. But occasionally, the _princess_ may need to get her hands dirty and take care of the castle when the king is away. A princess has responsibilities to the kingdom, too. We all belong to this place."

Nick nodded and finally smiled in return, "Just as it belongs to all of us. Those horses belong to you as well as me, and you got just as good a deal as I could have. I'm sorry. Very sorry. Maybe one of these days, I'll learn to listen to people who are trying to keep me from making an idiot of myself."

Audra’s smile was affectionate, "Oh, Nick, it wouldn't be nearly so much fun around here if you didn't stick your foot in it occasionally."

Nick looked exasperated and embarrassed and finally amused. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't rub it in." He paused and smiled fondly at his little sister. "Are you ready to go down? I bet even Heath is done in the tub by now."

"Yes, of all my brothers, I would say Heath is the most decadent and indulgent."

Nick laughed and offered his arm. "All right, Smarty Pants, quit teasing me, or I'll tell Jarrod you said that. Then you’ll be in trouble with both of us."

Audra smiled, glad they were back to their usual teasing. She took Nick's arm, and they moved to head downstairs for the family gathering.

Nick shook his head at himself. He might be a stubborn fool, but he wasn't too proud or too old to learn something new--even if it was about the sister he thought he’d known as well as anyone. She was a capable young woman that they could all be proud of. And that a Barkley of any stripe was a person of consequence. "Isn't there some kind of quote about...uh...something like, no matter what kind of rose it is, it'll still smell the same?"

Audra cocked her head, trying to use Nick think to come up with what he was asking about. After a minute, "Oh, yes. Shakespeare. 'What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet.'"

Nick thought about that for a half second and then shook his head. "I like my version better. You ain't gonna beat em, no matter which Barkley you gotta deal with."

She wrinkled up her nose, knowing she just couldn't pass up this opportunity to get him back. She decided to play dumb, "Are you saying we all smell alike, Nick? That I smell as bad as you boys do?"

Nick's face turned toward her indignantly, "Now that isn't what I said at all! Don't go putting words in my mouth!"

"Nick, you're the one who said it. I'm just trying to figure out what you mean," Audra's laugh echoed down the steps as they descended to gather with the family in the parlor before dinner.

End

 

Now, I know practically nothing about horses, so I don't have a real ailment in mind for Walter Brooks's horses. I just kind of went along with some of the things I've read in James Herriot's All Things Great and Small books. How in those days, they sometimes didn't really know what was wrong with animals and just tried to treat the symptoms.

And I got inspired for this story by reading an account of a lady name Kittie Wilkens. She ran one of the largest horse ranches in the west in the late 1800s into the 1900s. Although the outfit consisted of her father and three brothers, she was the undisputed head of the company. I thought Audra could have done something similar if necessary.

Best, Queena


End file.
